Hey, readers!
Welcome to a short and late edition of the FictionMatters newsletter for the long weekend. I’m in quite the reading slump these days, but I’m thankful for my Aspen Words selections to keep me engaged in books and reading truly powerful stories. Other than that, I finished my slow read of a 2020 literary fiction debut and have basically transitioned into exclusively being an audiobook reader for the time being.
This week in books.
This week I read…
Real Life by Brandon Taylor. Brandon Taylor’s debut novel is evocative and vulnerable, and I absolutely adored it. The campus novel follows Wallace, a shy young queer Black man who feels separate from everyone else in his biochem grad program and the Midwestern community he lives in. As the book begins, we learn that Wallace has successfully kept his guard up around most of his classmates and colleagues, but as the story progresses, his profound attraction to and curiosity about a peer starts to break down those walls. The book is an intimate and endearing portrait of its main character, whose numb sense of grief is piercing. The book Real Life reminded me of the most was actually Normal People. Taylor’s writing is similarly stark yet emotional, and the closeup view of humanity at its most vulnerable struck a similar chord. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amazon | Bookshop
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Janie Crawford is one of the most wonderful characters in American literature, and I loved revisiting this book for Novel Pairings. Our discussion of this wonderful classic will be available on Tuesday, July 21st. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amazon | Bookshop
Remembered by Yvonne Battle-Felton. Prize submission. Amazon | Bookshop
The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez by Rudy Ruiz. Prize submission. Amazon | Bookshop
Now I’m reading…
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. I love everything by Elizabeth Acevedo, but this may end up being my favorite. I love the multiple perspectives and the setting split between New York City and the Dominican Republic. Of course, like all of Acevedo’s work, this one is exceptional on audio. Amazon | Bookshop
TBD! I’m in need of something light and fun. I think I may pick up a romance like Something to Talk About, The Royal We, or Real Men Knit.
14 books to read for the Fourth of July.
If you took an American Literature class in school, you mostly likely read a lot of white male authors and discussed the “American Dream, but there’s so much more to the American story than those canonical books. Here are 14 texts that tackle the question of freedom and have added to my understanding of the American narrative.
The Affairs of the Falcóns by Melissa Rivero. For an intense and heartbreaking story of an immigrant family’s American Dream. Amazon | Bookshop
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. To explore Indigenous wisdom about ecology and the connection between humanity and the natural world. Amazon | Bookshop
The Color Purple by Alice Walker. For a Black feminist celebration of women’s strength, power, and love. Amazon | Bookshop
Good and Mad by Rebecca Traister. To discover the history of women’s righteous anger in shaping America. Amazon | Bookshop
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. For a gorgeous book about friendship and community during the 1980s AIDS crisis. Amazon | Bookshop
How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang. For a western unlike any other western and a depiction of racism and bigotry during the Gold Rush. Amazon | Bookshop
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. For a fast-paced, intellectual narrative that explores racial disparities in the US beyond black and white. Amazon | Bookshop
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass. For the autobiography of one of the most influential abolitionists in American history. Amazon | Bookshop
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. To understand the prison industrial complex and the ongoing legacy of the 13th amendment, which allows for slavery to exist as a form of legal punishment. Amazon | Bookshop
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. For a coming out and coming of age story that explores immigration and the generational ramifications of the Vietnam War. Amazon | Bookshop
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza. For a gorgeous family saga that sheds light on the experience of Muslim Americans post-9/11. Amazon | Bookshop
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. For a celebration of a fiery young woman’s voice and a story about balancing family expectations and individual dreams. Amazon | Bookshop
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. For a haunting story about motherhood, childhood, incarceration, and the grief. Amazon | Bookshop
There There by Tommy Orange. For an intricately structured story about urban Indigenous communities. Amazon | Bookshop
Bookish reading.
Two of my favorite books are on this list of books recommended by Black bookstore owners so I’ve immediately added the others to my list.
Check out what the Read It Forward editorial team is reading this summer—it’s a great mix of buzzy 2020 releases and backlist gems.
Looking for a good scare this summer? This is the list for you.
This article sharing the stories of Black publishing workers is a must read for anyone who cares about books.
Constance Grady’s love letter to The Baby-Sitters Club has me feeling very nostalgic and super excited for the new show. And if you’re feeling like a real walk down memory lane, be sure to check out this oral history of the 1995 Baby-Sitters movie.
NPR’s list of great summer YA is so fun and includes a story set at a Medieval Times-esque restaurant. Sign me up.
Novel Pairings.
This Tuesday we’re dropping our episode on Homer’s Odyssey. This episode is so fun and you certainly don’t have to have read The Odyssey to enjoy it. We discuss the enduring power of mythology, our experiences with this particular epic, and I share a bit (maybe too much…) about my middle school mythology obsession. Next week, we’re doing our second round of our Short Story Club and discussing the Ray Bradbury classic “All Summer in a Day.” The story is four pages long and takes about 10 minutes to read. Click here for a free PDF to join us in reading before Tuesday, July 14th.
End notes.
Watching: This video of Frederick Douglass’s descendants reading his famous speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.”
Listening: I’m really loving Crooked Media’s newest podcast That’s The Ticket, which is all about the vice presidential selection process.
I hope you’ve had a wonderful long weekend of reading and reflection. I’ll be back next Sunday, hopefully with some great romance recs for you!
Until then, stay safe and happy reading!
Sara
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